OC Europe > Personnel Needs

Career Opportunities in One Challenge (OC) Romania

In the 10 years that OC has been working in Romania, the team has developed solid and effective ministries in research, networking, church planting, prayer, and cross-cultural missions. Members of our team are recognized as leaders in these areas. God has used our ministries of networking, research, publishing, and teaching to make a significant impact on many key leaders in the churches and in Christian organizations. Our team has gathered the country’s most complete information on Romania's churches and Christian organizations. Together with other Christian groups we use this information to promote cooperation and to help the whole Body of Christ grow and function more effectively. Our team is seen as a key unifying influence in Bucharest and around the country.

When we look at the state of the evangelical church in Romania, there is both good news and bad news. The good news is that Romania with 2.4% of its population evangelical is one of the most evangelical countries in all of Europe. Romania has far more evangelicals than most of the countries in Eastern Europe, and it is looked upon as a leader in the region. It has the opportunity and the responsibility to help other countries to develop their churches and ministries. The bad news is that the vast majority of Romania’s people do not have a saving relationship with the Lord. Evangelical denominations began working in Romania a hundred years ago, but forty-five years Communist oppression significantly limited the growth of the church. There is a great deal of work still to be done in evangelism and church planting - particularly in the southeastern part of the country where our team is located. Ten thousand villages have no evangelical church. Hundreds of new churches are needed in Romania’s cities.

Through the ministries of our team and in partnership with the local church and other Christian organizations, new areas of ministry opportunity are opening. For example, new forms of church are being tried, including cell-based churches. Church planting strategies in some areas are being very successful. Partnerships are flourishing with both churches and missions. And there is an amazing increase of interest in cross-cultural missions, and more than 100 Romanians are now on long-term missionary projects.

Our desire is to use the excellent foundation that we have established as the basis for expanding our team's impact in new ministry areas and with a larger number of churches. To do that we need lots more team members! We are looking for people with experience who can commit at least five years in one of the following areas of ministry:

Church Planting Coach
Based on our team’s research we proposed a preliminary goal of planting 2,000 churches in Romania’s villages and 500 churches in the cities. Most of those churches need to be planted in the southeastern part of the country. Some people are starting new churches, and others would like to; but many potential church planters need guidance, training, and encouragement. An experienced church planting coach could significantly increase the effectiveness of Romanian church planters and see many more churches planted!

Cell Church Specialist
More church leaders are starting to realize that they must start cell groups for effective evangelism and discipleship. Some are aware of the amazing growth that has happened in other countries using this method and are interested in trying it. A few are already doing it. We are looking for someone who can network the leaders who are using cell groups and to work with them to make this approach effective in the Romanian context and to make it attractive to the pastors. A church in Kiev, Ukraine (in a post-communist, Orthodox context just like we have in Romania) has grown to 26,000 members and has planted 300 churches. We would be thrilled to see that model reproduced throughout Romania!

Leadership Development
The persecution of Romanian church leaders during Communism and the emigration of leaders since the Revolution have created a crisis of leadership in the Romanian church. Many leaders lack the leadership skills that they need to effectively lead their churches. John Maxwell’s EQUIP ministry has been active in Romania and has asked our team to help in their leadership development efforts. We have done what we could, but we really need someone with experience who could focus on this area of ministry. The future of the church is in the hands of the leaders, and they need our help!

Evangelism Coach
Many Romanian Christians are very reluctant to share their faith. During the Communist years it was dangerous to evangelize, and that fear has not gone away. Evangelism is often left to “experts” or to visiting foreign preachers. As a result the churches are growing much more slowly than they could. Some are reporting a decline in their number of baptisms, and some churches have been closed. There are several organizations that work very hard at evangelism, but the results are small compared to the great need that exists. We would love to have someone on our team who could work with the churches and the organizations to find and implement methods that work effectively – methods which would mobilize the believers to do evangelism and which would effectively communicate the Gospel to nonbelievers.

Urban Ministry Specialist
Half of Romania's population lives in urban centers, and those cities tend to be considerably less evangelical than the national average. Churches are having an increasingly difficult time dealing with secular and post-modern mentality of city dwellers and competing with all of the activities available in our cities. Churches cannot hope to buy property and build buildings to meet the need for new churches. New methods of evangelism and new forms of church are desperately needed. Our team needs someone who can focus on these challenges and help the urban churches reach their "Jerusalems." This is nowhere more important than in Bucharest where our team is located. Bucharest contains 10% of Romania's population but has less than 2 % of her churches!

Youth Ministry Specialist
OC Romania is greatly concerned about the number of young people who do not find the church relevant or necessary. A young man will shortly join our team to help develop youth leaders for churches and Christian organizations, but we'd love to see more people recruited for this ministry. The need is great. The future of Romania’s churches depends on reaching the youth and developing them into leaders!

Cross-cultural ministry Specialist
Although all of the current members of our team are involved with the growing missions movement in Romania, we really need someone who can give himself full-time to this exciting area of ministry. There are wonderful opportunities to be involved in teaching, coaching, and mentoring missionary candidates, in leading short-term teams of Romanians, and networking with pastors and organizations who are a part of this movement. Many feel that God is calling Romania to play a major role in world missions. Come help us realize that goal!

Networker
Our team is recognized as the organization that best brings people together and keeps everyone informed, but much more could be done. Many sub-networks should be formed based on ministry interest. Network meetings should be established in other cities around the country. Specialized directories of organizations should be prepared. If you are diplomatic, love to meet people, and enjoy connecting them to others, this could be the job for you!

Ministry specialist to the “Diaspora”
Millions of Romanians are living in Western Europe and Israel. Romanian churches are often among the largest and most dynamic churches in these countries. This person would interact with these churches and make available to them programs and materials that are being developed in Romania. He or she would help these churches reach more Romanians and give them a vision for reaching out to the people of their host populations. Significant travel required!

Short term / sports coordinator
There are many opportunities open to short term teams to serve the churches in Romania. Short-term teams are especially effective in drawing people to events at which they can hear the Gospel. There is a wonderful potential for using sports teams to attract crowds and to share the Gospel with them. We need someone who can make the contacts and arrangements for these teams and to supervise their projects. This person would also have the opportunity to build into the lives of the team members a greater understanding and interest in mission work.

Teacher of missionary kids
Bucharest Christian Academy offers the children of missionaries and other expatriates a solid education from first grade through high school. The school provides a very valuable service to missionary families, many of which would not be here were it not for the school. It also creates the opportunity for showing Christian love to families and students from other countries and cultures. Positions for teachers are frequently coming open – especially at the high school level. Further information about the school is available through www.bcaromania.org.

Interested?
If you would like to serve the Lord in Romania and have the skills and experience to fill one of the positions above, please write us right away via our Contact Form. Further information about our team and our ministries can be found at www.oci.ro. That website also contains much of the information we have gathered on Romania’s churches and the organizations that work here. Information about OC can be found at www.oci.org. Canadians should contact Outreach Canada at www.outreach.ca. We would love to talk with you, answer your questions, and learn about you and your interests.

Team members are expected to develop a solid command of Romanian, develop a good understanding and appreciation of Romanian culture, raise support for both their living and ministry costs, and work effectively in a team context. Our team is located in Bucharest to give us access to senior church and organization leaders, to promote ministry in the neediest corner of the country, and to make it possible for the team’s children to attend the MK school.

Our team currently consists of two families and two single persons who have joined the team in the spring of 2006 – one to mobilize prayer efforts and one to work in youth ministry. An additional family will join the team later in 2006 to teach at Bucharest Christian Academy.